News in Brief
The first Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum held this week in Sochi
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy’s launches his book: “Medemer”
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke meets President Macron on his visit to France
UN Security Council: South Sudan government must be formed by November 12
Somalia: to reduce poverty and expand infrastructure after debts rescheduled
President Kenyatta calls on Kenyans to respect diversity; pays tribute to troops in Somalia
Africa and the African Union
The first Russia-Africa Summit was held this week in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi on October 23-24. Co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, this year’s African Union chair, more than forty Heads of State and Government attended. On the side-lines of the Summit, there was also a Russia-Africa Economic Forum attended by representatives of governments, businesses and international organizations. (See article)
The 13th annual joint consultation meeting between AUPSC and UNSC took place on Thursday this week (October 24) on Monday, the two sides held an informal joint seminar. The agenda for the meeting included South Sudan and the informal consultations, being held for the fourth consecutive year, covered “Silencing the Guns in Africa”; modalities for joint UN Security Council-AU PSC field missions; and financing of AU-led peace support operations. Following the meeting, a joint communiqué will be issued and the Security Council will receive a briefing on the Secretary-General’s annual report on ways to strengthen the partnership between the UN and AU on issues of peace and security in Africa.
UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohamed, together with the AU Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, Ms. Bineta Diop, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, and Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the African Union, the Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission on Africa, launched a joint solidarity mission to the Horn of Africa on Monday (October 21) in Addis Ababa. Ms. Mohamed stressed the mission underlined the strength of the UN-AU partnership in addressing Africa’s peace and security challenges in a coordinated, comprehensive, coherent and efficient manner. She underlined the UN Secretary-General’s commitment to women’s leadership and political participation in conflict prevention: “gender equality is a precursor to sustaining peace and achieving sustainable development.” The Mission is visiting Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan with a focus on women, peace and security and development. It visited Somalia on Wednesday where it met with Prime Minister Hassan Khayre and Ms. Halima Ibrahim Ismail, Chairperson of the National Independent Electoral Commission.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, met Elhadj As Sy, the Secretary General of International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) on Monday (October 21), and discussed ways of strengthening the current partnership between the AU Commission and IFRC in humanitarian action, humanitarian diplomacy and response to epidemics at the continental level. The Chairperson emphasized the AU’s priority to build strong national institutions and systems capable of addressing humanitarian challenges particularly within the AU themes for 2019 and 2020, ‘Forced Displacement’ and ‘Silencing the Guns’.
Ethiopia
President Sahle-Work Zewde met UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed on Monday (October 21). They exchanged views on regional and international issues. The President briefed the Deputy Secretary-General on Ethiopia’s ongoing reforms and the government’s commitment to empowering women. She reiterated Ethiopia’s commitments to ensuring peace and stability in the region and in African in general. Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed said the United Nations would continue to provide all necessary support for empowerment of women to Ethiopia.
President Sahle-Work Zewde, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and other high-level UN and AU officials attended the launch of the Ethiopian Chapter of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) on Monday (October 21). The President said this was a major milestone that would benefit all Ethiopian women and ensure their voice is better heard and their issues better addressed. She said it would “empower rural women, mentor young women, and achieve gender equality. We have to achieve the Africa We Want, where women have the same economic, political and social rights as men”.
President Sahle-Work met with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley at the National Palace on Friday (October 18). The two leaders discussed opportunities for tourism to increase job creation in a country that is not only the birthplace of mankind but also home to many natural and man-made wonders. New Zealand opened its embassy in Addis Ababa in 2014, thought relations date back to 1937 when New Zealand supported Ethiopia in its request for continued recognition as a sovereign state during the Italian occupation.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s book entitled Medemer(synergy) was launched on Saturday (October 19). The book examines and outlines his policies for the economic, political and foreign policy direction of Ethiopia. Launching the event, the Prime Minister said that his idea of medemer involves scaling up best practices, rectifying past mistakes, and creating a better future. The book is published in Amharic, Afan Oromo, and English, though the English version will not be released for another three months. (See article)
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy met with members of the UN Security Council’s visiting delegation to discuss regional peace and security issues on Tuesday morning (October 22). The members of the Security Council congratulated Prime Minister on the award of the Nobel Peace Prize award and requested his input on regional peace. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of changes of attitude, understanding the value of peace and leadership without ego, as key components to unlock and sustain regional peace.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy, leading the Ethiopia delegation to the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, met with President Putin on the side-lines of the Summit on Wednesday (October 23). He briefed President Putin on the ongoing reforms in Ethiopia, emphasizing the home-grown economic reform agenda aiming to make Ethiopia one of the top five economies in Africa in the next decade. President Putin commended Ethiopia’s role under the IGAD to maintain peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. (See article)
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for bilateral talks on the side-lines of Russia-Africa Summit on Thursday (October 24). The Prime Minister said they had a fruitful discussion and both countries were keen to work together based on a win-win approach for the benefit of their peoples. They agreed to strengthen the tripartite technical committee to look into the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and come to a decision. Dr. Abiy said: “We can have political discussions while the technical discussions will continue separately; this will not obstruct the technical committee’s work.” They would resolve issues that needed political remedies together. Ethiopia has also made it clear that it stands ready to resolve any differences and outstanding concerns by consultation among the three riparian countries.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy told the House of People’s Representatives on Tuesday (October 21) in the debate on the president’s speech to the recent joint session opening Parliament, that no force could stop Ethiopia from building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). He said Government of Ethiopia has no intention to harm the people and Governments of Sudan and Egypt. The Prime Minister, who emphasized that Ethiopia’s foreign policy gives priority to its relations with neighboring countries, also emphasised that the government would attach greater attention to control inflation, create employment opportunities, address housing problems and attract tourists.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, on a visit to France had a meeting with French President Macron and delivered a keynote address at the Ethio-France Business and Investment Forum on Monday (October 21). (See article)
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke led an Ethiopian delegation to attend the Ethio-Italy Business Forum in Rome last week. He also held talks with Italy’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Emanuela Del Re and with the Executive Director of the World Food Programme to discuss humanitarian assistance and sustainable development. The Deputy Prime Minister visited the Ethiopian College, the only foreign college located within the boundaries of the Vatican and met with Cardinal Parolin, Secretary of State for the Holy See.
Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew held discussions with a delegation led by Hon Jesse Klaver, Leader of the Green Left Party of the Netherlands Parliament on Monday (October 21). The Minister briefed the delegation on Ethiopia’s all-round and ongoing reforms. The Parliamentary delegation affirmed their strong support to Ethiopia’s reforms.
Ambassador Mahlet Hailu, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia met Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Tuesday (October 22). Ambassador Mahlet expressed her gratitude for the humanitarian assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent is providing in Ethiopia. Mr. Elhadj As Sy reaffirmed the importance of his organization’s continued cooperation with Ethiopia and explained what the organization intends to undertake in Ethiopia.
Ambassador Nega Tsegaye, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomed Ms. Lolwah R.M Al Khater, Spokesperson of Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and her delegation on Monday (October 21). Ambassador Nega welcomed the ongoing cooperation between the two ministries in capacity building and other areas. Spokesperson Nebiat Getachew briefed Ms. Lolwah on the activities of the Ministry and the Office of the Spokesperson. Ms. Lolwah was visiting Ethiopia to explore areas of support and cooperation in media and communications.
Peace Minister Ms. Muferiat Kamil announced on Tuesday (October 22) that Ethiopia was no longer subject to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) monitoring process under the global Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) compliance process. The Minister said this decision had been made because Ethiopia had strengthened the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime and had addressed related technical deficiencies to meet the commitments in its action plan regarding the deficiencies FATF had identified over two years ago.
Dr. Tilaye Gete, Minister for Education, opened the 12th Social Enterprise World Forum on Wednesday (October 23) in Addis Ababa welcoming 1,200 delegates from 70 countries. The Minister said it was the right time for Ethiopia to host the Forum and said he hoped it would be a catalyst…to create an environment in which social enterprise flourishes.” Dr Hirut Kassaw, Minister for Culture and Tourism said social entrepreneurship was “one of the most important initiatives” for Ethiopia.
Russia and Ethiopia signed an agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy on Wednesday (October 23) on the side-lines of the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi. The agreement creates a legal basis for cooperation in nuclear energy, including assistance in development of nuclear infrastructure facilities regulation in the field of nuclear safety, protection and control of nuclear materials and radiation sources. The agreement allows the parties to consider constructing a nuclear science and technology research center in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia and Germany signed financial and technical agreements amounting to €74.5 million on Wednesday (October 23). The agreements were signed by Ethiopia’s State Minister of Finance, Admasu Nebebe, and the Ambassador of Germany to Ethiopia, Ambassador Brita Wagener. The technical agreement (for €28 million) supports three projects through GIZ; the financial agreement, for €46.5 million, is to be used to finance other two projects.
Ethiopia and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further enhance cooperation in the railway sector on Friday (October 18) at Ankara. “We intend to share Turkish State Railways’ 163 years of experience with Ethiopia”, said Ali Ihsan Uygun, general manager of Turkish Rail. Sintayehu Woldemichael, CEO of the Ethiopian Railway Corporation, said infrastructure development, transportation, operation and human resources training were priority areas in their relationship.
The 6th Annual Subcommittee Meeting of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was held in Nairobi in the second week of October. The meeting, which congratulated Prime Minister Abiy on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, praised Ethiopia for its afforestation campaign and identified its “Green Legacy” campaign as an important and useful climate action initiative. The meeting accepted the Ethiopia-led resolution ‘Implementation and follow-up of the United Nations Environment Assembly Resolution’, welcoming the detailed roadmap for realization of a web-based monitoring and follow-up system.
The Foreign Relation Strategic Resources Center (FR-SIRC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, held its monthly ‘Diplomacy Hub’ breakfast seminar on Tuesday (October 22) at the Hilton Hotel. It heard a presentation on “Regional Integration: The way forward for the African Union” and discussed possibilities and challenges of economic and political integration of Africa at regional and continental levels.
Eritrea
Foreign Minister Osman Saleh led the Eritrea delegation which included the Head of PFDJ Economic Affairs, Hagos Gebre Hiwet and the Ambassador to Russia, Ambassador Petros Tsegay, to the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi this week.
The Foreign Ministry summoned the German Ambassador to Asmara on Monday (October 21) to demand “clarification/rectification” from the Ambassador over the government-funded international broadcaster Deutsche Welle’s “despicable” coverage and “unbridled smear campaigns” about national service in Eritrea and the peace process with Ethiopia.
Kenya
Mashujaa (Heroes) Day was celebrated in Kenya on October 20. President Kenyatta leading the celebrations in Mombasa, described the members of Kenya’s Defense Forces as “our heroes of today.” He said Kenya as a neighbour has an obligation to ensure stability in Somalia. He also called on Kenyans to be heroes in everything they did, in every action. (See article)
Somalia
President Mohamed Abdullahi inaugurated statues of Somali freedom fighters along the Maka Al-Mukarama road in Mogadishu on Friday last week (October 18). The President said he was proud to lead the nation in restoring the historic monuments of Hawa Tako, Sayid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan, Ahmed Gurey and Dhaqar Tur. These national heroes were the pride of Somali generations, and “Safeguarding our history reminds us of our historic journey and inspires our future.” The restoration of the statues is part of the Is-Xilqaan Initiative, involving rehabilitation of key structures including the national theatre, national library, national archive and the Mogadishu sports stadium to be reopened this year.
Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khayre held talks with US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Tibor Nagy, in Washington at the end of last week. Ambassador Nagy reaffirmed the US commitment to support government reforms and said Somalia was making impressive progress towards debt relief and security sector reform. He discussed preparations for elections next year as well as the importance of advancing federalism. Prime Minister Khayre said the US was a key ally for the government’s broad based national reforms.
Prime Minister Khayre met with Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), on Friday last week (October 18). Ms. Georgieva congratulated the Prime Minister on the continued strong implementation of Somalia’s economic reform program and they exchanged views on the importance of securing debt relief under the Highly-Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative as soon as possible.
Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beileh said on Sunday (October 20) that he was heartened by progress made during discussions with officials from the United States, Somalia’s biggest creditor, Britain, and others during the IMF/World Bank annual meetings. He noted Somalia was working with Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti on a five-year, $15 billion, project to establish ports and transportation corridors. (See article)
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) organized its first international charter flight carrying 154 Somali refugees from Jijiga and Dolo Ado refugee camps in Ethiopia to be resettled in Germany on Tuesday (October 22). IOM is coordinating with the Ethiopian Agency for Refugees and Returnee Affairs (ARRA), the UN Refugee Agency and the Federal Government of Germany to resettle 500 refugees to Germany. Another 220 refugees will depart for Germany on a second flight in mid-November.
South Sudan
The United Nations Security Council on Sunday (October 20) called on South Sudan leaders to meet the November 12 deadline for forming a Transitional Government. The UNSC delegation on a visit to Juba where it held separate meetings with South Sudan President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar, said progress had been made since the signing of the September (2018) peace deal. The Troika (the US, UK and Norway) also issued a statement on Monday, urging both sides to meet the deadline for formation of the government. (See article)
For the first time in eight years, barges have left the Sudan Nile river port of Kosti for South Sudan. Three Barges contracted by the World Food Program left Kosti on Tuesday (October 22) to take 4,500 tons of food to South Sudanese towns of Renk, Malakal and Bor, enough food to feed 370,000 people for one month.
The Joint Technical Committee for Border Demarcation between Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement on the full delimitation of the joint border on Tuesday (October 22). The Committee which began its meetings on October 23 will complete its work by including the disputed areas alongside claimed zones, and will submit its work to the Joint Border Commission for ratification next month. The claimed and disputed areas along the 2000km border between Sudan and South Sudan include Abyei, 14-Mile area, Joudat Al-Fakhar, Jebel al-Migainais, Kaka, and Kafia Kingi enclave (Hofrat al-Nahas).
Sudan
The head of UN Peacekeeping, M. Lacroix, told the UN Security Council last week that Prime Minister Hamdok had requested UNAMID to align its drawdown from Darfur with the on-going peace process. The Prime Minister wanted “a well-sequenced transition from peacekeeping to peacebuilding in Darfur, aligned with the Government’s priorities and timeframe, that would take the ongoing talks into consideration while defining the next steps”. UNAMID plans to end its presence in Darfur by the end of June 2020, and the tripartite mechanism (of the UN, AU and Sudan government) has established a Joint Task Force to finalize options for a possible follow-on presence to be presented to the UN Security Council and the AU Peace and Security Council in December.
The Sudan peace mediation in Juba announced on Tuesday (October 22) a one month suspension of the negotiations between the Transitional Government, the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) and the SPLM-N led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu for consultations. In their first round of talks, the parties have signed a declaration of cessation of hostilities, and political agreements. The Mediation said that achieving peace in Sudan had become possible and the suspension of the first round of negotiations until November 21 would allow the parties sufficient time to set up military delegations to discuss security arrangements and conduct the necessary consultations.
A statement by Qatar’s Ambassador to Sudan, reaffirming Qatar’s desire to enhance cooperation with Sudan in all areas, especially investment, on Sunday (October 20), was welcomed by the National Umma Party, one of the major groups in the Forces for Freedom and Change. It came just as the Friends of Sudan Group, which includes Qatar, met Monday in Washington to discuss ways to support the Transitional Government.
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The first Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum held this week in Sochi
The first Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum was held this week (October 23-24) in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the current chair of the African Union. All 54 African states were represented with 43 Heads of State and Government attending the Summit, and they agreed the Summit held under the theme “For Peace, Security and Development,” was taking place at a decisive moment in the relationship between Africa and Russia. There was general acknowledgement of the role and assistance of Russia in the struggle for independence, and calls for Russia to continue its participation in the fight against terrorism in Africa as well as requests for Russia to support stability in Africa. It was time for Russia to enter into strategic relations with Africa.
Participation in the fields of transport, energy, mining and telecommunication were emphasized as areas of cooperation in which Russian companies could participate in partnership with their African counterparts. African leaders called for Russia to help Africa exploit its potential to the fullest. A number of strategic cooperation agreements were signed on the side-lines of the Russia-Africa Economic Forum and joint projects for implementation in economic, social, and humanitarian spheres. Russia invited a number of countries to participate more actively in its program of debt relief in exchange for development assistance. In order to increase the exchange of trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Africa a cooperation agreement was signed between Russia on behalf of Eurasia customs union and the African Union.
President Putin said strengthening of ties with African countries was one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities, and spoke of Russia being able to offer political and diplomatic support, defense and security assistance, economic support, disease-control advice, and humanitarian-relief assistance as well as educational and vocational training. He said Russian companies are ready to offer African partners their scientific and technological developments and experience in modernizing energy, transport, and communication infrastructure, adding: “We are not going to participate in a new ‘repartition’ of the continent’s wealth; rather, we are ready to engage in competition for cooperation with Africa, provided that this competition is civilized.” At the BRICS meeting last year, President Putin emphasized that Russia’s trade with Africa had grown by more than 25% in 2017 alone and there had been particular growth in the food supply, metals, machinery and equipment sectors. Energy has become a major sector for Russian investment in gas, oil, and nuclear power. While Russia’s trade with Africa has almost tripled in recent years, from $6.6 billion in 2010 to $18.9 billion last year, it remains far behind US-African trade of around $61 billion, China-Africa at $200 billion and EU-Africa at over $300 billion annually.
The Ethiopian delegation to the Summit, which included Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew, was led by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed.In his address, the Prime Minister commended President Putin for taking the initiative to host this first Russia-Africa Summit. He emphasized that the principle of solidarity was always the basis for the relationship between Africa and Russia and pointed out that the Sochi Summit would help to understand and put forward areas of cooperation for more a productive relationship. He called on Africa and Russia to uphold peace and stability in the world in general and especially in the Horn of Africa. He stressed the need to eradicate conflicts from Africa, and said: “We should support good neighbourliness with our partners in accordance to the charter of UN and for the well-being of humanity.” He added:” In our region we work on the principle of “medemer” with the concept of collective cooperation so that one cannot benefit over the other. Each country can develop in areas where it is stronger and share with its partners. We believe that for future development and growth all should participate in the process without leaving behind any country. To this end, the adoption of the declaration of this Summit will contribute a lot.”
The Prime Minister met President Putin on the side-lines of the Summit for bilateral talks. President Putin congratulated Dr. Abiy on the Nobel Peace Prize award and said it was a worthy tribute for regulating the Eritrean-Ethiopian conflict and his efforts in normalizing relations in the Horn of Africa. President Putin noted although Russia and Ethiopia had a long historical relationship there was room to increase their volume of trade; both countries should do more. He expressed appreciation of Ethiopia’s role in helping to maintain peace in Africa and especially acknowledged the role of IGAD. He said Russia and Ethiopia had a high level of cooperation in the UN.
Dr. Abiy acknowledged Russia’s positive support for Ethiopia in its fight against aggression and said that Russia is a key partner to Ethiopia. Ethiopia wanted this cooperation to continue. He detailed the current political and economic reforms and stressed the actions taken to reform the economic sector. He said Russian companies were welcome in Ethiopia and invited them to participate on the ongoing privatization process. Dr. Abiy also explained in detail Ethiopia’s position on GERD, underlining the ongoing discussions between Ethiopia, Egypt and the Sudan. He mentioned that Ethiopia appreciated the cooperation with Russia at multilateral fora and said that Ethiopia wants to strengthen its strategic partnership with Russia. He suggested Russia could import different agricultural products directly from Ethiopia rather than through other countries and proposed an increase in Ethiopian airlines direct flights to Russia. He said cooperation in the field of education was an important part of the relationship requested the Russian President to increase the number of scholarships given to Ethiopia.
The two leaders discussed participation of Russian companies in the development of mineral, oil and gas resources in Ethiopia on the basis of mutual benefit. The Prime Minister requested the Russian side to ratify the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement as this would assist Russian Companies operating in Ethiopia. They also have agreed to enhance cooperation in peace keeping and peace building in the Horn Africa especially in the fight against terrorist activities in Somalia; and confirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various fields.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy’s launches his book: “Medemer”
Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed’s book, Medemer (synergy) was launched on Saturday (October 19) in 65 cities and towns across the country. In Addis Ababa, the occasion was held at the Millennium Hall in the presence of senior government officials, including the Prime Minister, and invited guests. In his remarks, the Prime Minister said that the idea of medemer believes in scaling up best practices, rectifying past mistakes, and creating a better future. The 280-page book is published in Amharic and Afan Oromo with an English version to be released in three months with about 1 million copies available, examines and outlines economic, political and foreign policy directions for Ethiopia.
The very word, medemer, is an Amharic term that can literally be defined by such terms as: ‘to gather’, ‘bring together’, ‘mount up’, ‘accumulate’ and ‘to build’. The author explains the concept of medemer calls for gathering tangible and intangible resources together rather than dispersing all what Ethiopians have accumulated through unorganized efforts and endeavors. Medemer operates against the tendency to destroy what exists and build something from scratch. It rather encourages appreciation of all the positive things available and building upon them. In addition, some of the positive things the country has can be derived from traditions that are related to economic activities, conflict resolution methods and administration techniques. They can help develop a vibrant democratic system.
The Prime Minister stated that medemer helps to meet three goals: To keep and expand on all political achievements that have been achieved so far; to rectify mistakes committed in the past; and to satisfy the needs for freedom and dignity aside from the economic and social rights we have as human beings. It is through meeting these goals that the future of the country and prosperity of the coming generation will be built upon a solid foundation.
Dr. Abiy outlined ‘activation’, ‘balance and heading for ‘a common goal’ as the necessary ingredients to fulfill the promises of medemer. By activation, he referred to the needs of the political arena that require active and self-motivated individuals who truly believe that anything that happens in the political atmosphere of their country should genuinely concern them. Balance refers to the equilibrium that should exist between people’s sense of competition and cooperation. In absence of such equilibrium, the urge to be holistic as human beings, let alone allowing the building of a healthy political system, is compromised. The third ingredient, a common goal, requires Ethiopians to search for the goals that bind them in common. And these goals, according to the Prime Minister, should aim to meet three things: unity among nations and nationalities; dignity and pride in being an Ethiopian citizen; and prosperity that is holistic and all inclusive.
The Prime Minister said there were psychological and practical challenges that medemer would be expected to face. Among the psychological challenges are peoples’ tendency to resort to extremes in holding political opinions; oversimplifying things that should get our attention; sticking to the past and overlooking the present realities; belittling and devaluing skills; and stubbornly refusing to accept change. Practical challenges include the tendency to be myopic and making excessively self-centered moves in things that affect the public at large as well as dragging one’s feet over making change when necessary.
The political side of medemer is based on the analysis that Ethiopian political culture is typically characterized by a cyclic dictatorship that in turn calls for violence. Such dictatorial systems may affect citizens as individuals but they also cause structural oppression against groups which can vary according to ethnicity, religion or gender. This is a clear departure from the very idea of Revolutionary Democracy, which the ruling party has been following up to now. The Prime Minister said Revolutionary Democracy categorized people or groups as enemies or friends, but this generalization, he said, was not compatible with the idea of medemer, a concept that calls for cooperation among all people and groups.
An Addis Weg Roundtable discussion on the idea of medemer was held at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday (October 21). It discussed the book’s political and economic points of view. Mamo Mihretu, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister noted that from an economic point of view, the book emphasized bringing prosperity through the creation of a free market platform and generating more employment opportunities. It also targets the upholding of economic gains made in the past, addressing macroeconomic imbalances, economic diversification, advancing knowledge economy, and reforming legal frameworks to meet demands of the upcoming generation.
As far as foreign relations are concerned, Medemer gives priority to neighboring countries by taking into consideration the view that Ethiopia cannot be peaceful if the region is not peaceful. Ethiopia has been playing a significant role at regional, continental, and global levels, the roundtable pointed out, noting that Medemer targets up-scaling identified values and maintaining national pride by attaching great attention to regional cooperation.
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Deputy Prime Minister Demeke meets President Macron on his visit to France
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen visiting France at the beginning of the week had an audience with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on Monday (October 21). President Macron reiterated France’s strong support to the ongoing political and economic reforms in Ethiopia. He emphasized that it was committed to and was delivering financial assistance to the reform process. The President also congratulated, once again, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy and Ethiopia for the deserved win of the Nobel Peace Prize and praised Ethiopia’s efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the Horn of Africa.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke also opened the Ethio-France Business, Investment and Trade Forum in Paris on Monday. The Forum was organized jointly with MEDEF International, an association of some of the biggest companies in France, and executives of more than 40 large French companies in agriculture, industry and service sectors participated in the Forum, including top officials from Airbus, Ariane Group, Carrefour, Canal +, Coppernic, Doux SA, Energie, Groupe Soufflet, Lagardere, Lazard, Orange, Pernod Ricard, Razel Bec, Safran and Total. Representatives of more than 30 Ethiopian companies were present.
In a keynote speech, the Deputy Prime Minister underlined that Ethiopia was the origin of mankind, a country with diverse culture and an investment destination. It was, he pointed out, implementing different reform programs for sustainable growth and to bring a rapid inclusive growth. He said trade and investment were key areas to enhance cooperation between Ethiopia and France. The government, he said, was paying close attention to create a favorable investment climate for foreign investors. M. Rémi Maréchaux, Director for Africa at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France stressed the high quality of the relations between the two countries, the strong support of France to the current political and economic reforms underway in Ethiopia, and the desire to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation with increased investments, business ties and trade.
The first session of the Forum was a roundtable interactive discussion between Ato Demeke and French corporate executives on the opportunities available in the vast and fast-growing Ethiopian market and the conducive investment and business climate being created by the ongoing political and economic reforms. Opportunities in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, mining and tourism sectors were highlighted as key priority areas for investment. The candid exchanges enabled the French business community to get very clear understanding of the current situation, including which were priorities areas and the way the Government was effectively tackling challenges.
A panel discussion was held with executives of Groupe SOUFFLET, an agro-industrial group specialized in food processing and barley and wheat chains, which recently entered the Ethiopian market; COPPERNIC, a company that produces professional mobile control and traceability terminals and Mr. Zemedeneh Nigatu from Fairfax Investment. The discussion concluded with remarks from State Minister Dr. Aklilu Hailemichael. The final session, a
networking session between French companies and Ethiopian businesses, allowed for an extensive exchange of views and information-sharing for potential business partnerships.
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UN Security Council: South Sudan government must be formed by November 12
The United Nations Security Council members held separate meetings with President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar in Juba on Sunday (October 20) to discuss the progress of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, including the challenges in the implementation of the peace agreement. Council members subsequently said the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity must be formed on the 12th of November as agreed by the signatories to the Peace Agreement. They concluded that the formation of the Unity Government by November 12 would address some of the challenges that South Sudan is facing. The Security Council delegation, headed by Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila (South Africa) current Council President, said the Security Council was ready to offer any assistance to expedite the formation of the Unity Government on time. The US Permanent Representative, Kelly Craft, said “There is an opportunity for the leaders of South Sudan to make political compromise and move forward to the next phase of the peace process in a credible, transparent and accountable manner.”
The Troika, the United States, Britain and Norway, on Monday (October 21) also issued a statement calling for the government and the opposition to meet the November 12 timeline. It said, “Progress would help maintain the confidence of all the parties and the international community, demonstrate that the parties have the political will to work together during the transitional period, and provide the opportunity for the international community to engage productively with an inclusive, new government. We encourage the parties, especially the current government, to take concrete steps to build trust through enhanced cooperation.”
A meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council on Wednesday last week had also urged all parties to keep to the timelines of the Peace Agreement. It urged all South Sudanese parties to continue to faithfully abide by the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements to facilitate the operationalization of the Transitional Security Arrangements. It also requested the African Union High Level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan (C5), to undertake a working visit to South Sudan before 12 November to encourage the parties, and to express continued African solidarity with the people of South Sudan.
The Security Council delegation on its visit to Juba, acknowledged that progress has been made since the singing of the Revitalized Agreement, with a ceasefire significantly improving the security situation and a reduction in political violence which had contributed to the return of 594,000 displaced people, increased food production, enhanced humanitarian access, and increased commerce among communities. However, key outstanding issues remain including decisions on the number of states and boundaries, as well as the reunification of security forces.
President Kiir and Riek Machar, before meeting the Security Council, met to discuss outstanding security issues and the number of states. They were briefed by the Joint Defense Board on the progress of the security arrangements and told it would take at least another three months to train 41,500 fighters and troops into a unified national army along with a 3,000-member protection force. Machar, arguing that the security situation was not yet satisfactory, told the Security Council that other three-months would be needed before being able to establish the government.
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Somalia: to reduce poverty and expand infrastructure after debts rescheduled
Somali Finance Minister, Abdirahman Duale Beileh, was in Washington at the World Bank/IMF annual meetings last week and held discussions with officials from the US, the UK and other countries as well as IMF and Bank representatives. He said he was heartened and encouraged by the progress made during his talks and was quoted as saying: “Things are looking up … Everybody was positive.” He said the U.S. and other officials were pleased with Somalia’s strong performance in reaching key benchmarks in a program to work toward debt forgiveness.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Ms. Georgieva pledged the IMF’s full support for Somalia’s push for debt relief in the “near future.” Somalia has about $4.7 billion in external debt and the IMF regards this as unsustainable. Finance Minister Beileh said the Fund was working out the exact grants needed to address Somalia’s debt arrears ahead of a board meeting in mid-November. Britain, the European Union and Qatar had offered to cover about $150 million of the about $330 million that Somalia owes the IMF and the U.S. Treasury, which is owed $1 billion by Somalia, has been encouraging support from other IMF members, and was in talks with Congress about steps needed to erase the bilateral debt: He said: “They were very skeptical when our government started, but now they are saying Somalia has travelled enough.”
Once it obtains debt relief, Somalia will be negotiating to receive grants worth about $300 million per year for the next three years, Beileh said. That would allow it to start spending on projects to reduce poverty by improving education and healthcare, shoring up water and electricity supply and investing in other critical infrastructure projects. After 30 years with little international support, Somalia has needs “on every corner,” he said. “The country is in bad shape, and that is an understatement. You name it, we need it.” Minister Beileh said Somalia was also working with neighbours Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti on a five-year, $15 billion project to establish ports and transportation corridors. Backed by the EU, the African Development Bank and the World Bank, the project will help boost trade in the region, he said. “Somalia is very committed to doing its part. I think we really have turned the corner. And when people are committed, they will do miracles,” he said.
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President Kenyatta calls on Kenyans to respect diversity; pays tribute to troops in Somalia
Kenya celebrated Mashujaa Day, Heroes Day, on Sunday (October 20) and President Kenyatta led the celebrations in Mombasa, underlining the role Kenyan forces were playing in Somalia.
The President challenged Kenyans to be everyday heroes in all they do. He said the country was on a journey that required the involvement of each and every one, and emphasized the need for a positive mind-set for a better tomorrow. He reminded Kenyans that civic duty is heroism for everyone. “Be a hero in all that you do, in every waking moment, in every action and in every word”. Kenyans, he said, should continue celebrating their diversity because it has been a source of strength for the nation. During the celebrations, Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan athlete who became the first person to run the 42 kilometres marathon under two hours, was awarded the Elder of the Golden Heart medal. The President noted that Kenya today was the global custodian of World Record Marathon titles for both men and women.
President Kenyatta said his government will continue offering both logistical and military support to Somalia to help stabilize it, He said: “I wish to celebrate our troops for the role they have played in peacekeeping missions across the world. We have seen them work diligently in Somalia as we try to seek long-lasting solutions. Our men and women who are serving in Somalia are our heroes of today. As a neighbour, we have an obligation to ensure stability has been established.” He said Kenyan troops would continue to serve in AMISOM and Kenyan Defense Force officials say the troops would only leave after fully training and effectively enhancing the Somali National Army.
The President also emphasized that the diplomatic row over their maritime dispute would not affect either Kenya’s participation in AMISOM or trade between Kenya and Somalia. Last week, the International Court of Justice postponed the hearing again at the request of Kenya. Originally rescheduled on November 4, the hearing has now been set for June next year, and the Court said the postponement was granted on the understanding that both parties would be represented and no further postponement would be granted. President Kenyatta made it clear at the UN General Assembly in September that Kenya wanted negotiations with Somalia. Kenya, he said, preferred a dialogue, and said his administration continued to reach out to Somalia in an effort to find an amicable and sustainable solution to the maritime boundary dispute. Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi has insisted the Court should decide the issue.
